1. Field
One or more example embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a depth sensing apparatus and method that may acquire a depth image of a target object, and more particularly, to a depth sensing apparatus and method that may overcome an error in sensing a depth value occurring due to background light of an object.
2. Description of the Related Art
A method of obtaining distance information from a sensor to an object may generally be classified into an active method and a passive method.
The passive method may be configured by a stereo camera according to a scheme of calculating a distance from an object using only image information instead of emitting light.
The active method may be configured according to a triangulation scheme of calculating a distance using a time of flight (TOF) and a triangulation. The TOF may measure a travel time of light by emitting the light towards an object and sensing the light reflected from the object, and the triangulation may sense a position of reflected light, the light being emitted by a laser positioned within a predetermined distance from a sensor.
In the case of the active method, since the light is directly emitted, it is possible to acquire a distance value in all the pixels of a sensor and thus, it is possible to provide a dense depth map. However, when background light is strong, distortion may occur in a depth value because both the emitted light and the background light enter the sensor.
In addition, in the case of the active method, an error may occur. For example, since a pixel is saturated due to the background light, an accurate depth value may not be obtained.